Pictures of the Year: A Picture and its Story
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un sits in his vehicle after arriving at a railway station in Dong Dang, Vietnam, at the border with China, February 26, 2019. Reuters Photographer Athit Perawongmetha: "I was assigned to cover Kim Jong Un's arrival by train in Dong Dang Ð the border town between Vietnam and China. I covered the North Korean leaderÕs first nuclear summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore so I knew access would be difficult. I arrived in Dong Dang two days before the arrival of Kim and preparations were tricky Ð undercover police officers stopped me every time I pulled out my camera. One day before his arrival I, along with the worldÕs media, began negotiating with media liaison officers about staking out the best spots. No one had approval from security yet. We positioned ourselves 70 meters opposite the gate of the train station. Producers sent their assistants to buy ladders. I rushed back to my hotel and borrowed one Ð but Japan's and Korea's were higher. By the afternoon no one dared abandon their spot. His expected arrival was early morning, so we camped outside the Dong Dang train station in the cold next to a wall of ladders. When he arrived, Kim Jung Un shook hands with Vietnamese delegates and waved to the media as he exited the train station. The level of access was unprecedented. After he got into his limousine, I no longer had a good vantage point from my ladder, so I instinctively ran to the side of his car which was surrounded by bodyguards. Just before the window closed, I captured his expression. I called it 'Kim Jong Un's Mona Lisa Smile'." REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo SEARCH "POY STORIES 2019" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
